


The Beautiful & The Damned

by sunarinloveclub



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Racing, Angst, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Drug Trade, Inspired by Fanart, Iwaizumi Hajime Being an Idiot, On the Run, POV reader, Racer Iwaizumi, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Street Racing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:34:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29918361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunarinloveclub/pseuds/sunarinloveclub
Summary: You weren't supposed to be there at the street racing event. You weren't supposed to help a criminal run away from the Yakuza. You weren't supposed to be on the run.But you were. And now all your morals are called into question.You also weren't supposed to fall in love with the esteemed street racer Iwaizumi, who got the two of living like modern day Bonnie and Clyde. (But you wouldn't trade it for the world.)
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Reader
Kudos: 7





	The Beautiful & The Damned

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Illegal street racing, cursing, drug smuggling, gun shots

Usually, around this time, you’d be in your apartment with a piping hot cup of coffee and studying your ass off for an upcoming midterm but you weren’t. Instead, you were at this street racing event that you’re _pretty sure was illegal_. If it wasn’t for your best friend pulling the “you owe me” card, you wouldn’t even be here right now. What’s worse was that she took off right when you guys got to the event, leaving you to wander around on your own. 

“Fuck this shit.” You angrily muttered under your breath. “I need to go find her.” Making your way back to the entrance, you can practically feel the judgmental stares from everyone here. You didn’t exactly fit in with the crowd, dressed in a hoodie and sweats compared to the girls in their tight tube tops and booty shorts. You stuck out like a sore thumb and you knew it. 

“If you’re looking for the library, it’s that way _princess_.” A voice from behind startled you from your thoughts. Turning around you were met with striking olive-green eyes, accompanied by a smirk that made you want to grimace. You quirked an eyebrow at his words before returning to find your friend. 

“Wow, I don’t remember asking you.” You mumbled to yourself or at least you thought you did but his next words proved you wrong. 

“Chill, I’m just trying to help you out.” He raised his hands in mock-surrender, offering a silent truce. The unamused look on your face made him lower his arms before rubbing his neck sheepishly. 

“Well that wasn’t very helpful, was it?” A sarcastic, but distracted smile made its way onto your lips. You still weren’t paying much attention to him, too focused on finding your friend to hopefully get out of here. Before you took another step, a small tap on your shoulder once again brought you out of your thoughts. This time you whirled around with a snarl on your face, ready to rip into him for bothering you. 

“What are you looking for, maybe I can help?” The hopefulness in his tone made you simmer down a little. 

“Doubt it,” you sighed, but you had nothing to lose at this point. Plus he knew the place better than you did so it’d be your loss if you’d just let this go… “Alright, you wouldn’t have happened to see a girl my height with bright pink hair would you?” Silently you hoped he did so you could finally leave. 

“No sorry, but I could help you find her if you’d like. I have some time to spare.” What little hope you had left was shattered by that statement. You didn’t think you could hide the disappointment even if you tried. Meeting his eyes in quiet defeat, you nodded your head before letting him take the lead. 

“ … Thanks.” You reluctantly said, truth be told you were a little thankful but that didn’t stop the tiredness from weighing down on you.

“Alright. Hey Cypher, I’ll be back in a bit. Watch my ride for me.” He patted the hood of his car before offering his hand to you. Glancing up at him, then at his hand, and back up at him, you wondered what you were supposed to do. His hand slowly inched its way towards you. He slightly tilted his head back in confusion. 

“Am I supposed to take your hand? Dude, I don’t even know you.” A bit creeped out by his actions, you took a small step back. Looking at you incredulously, he dropped his hand with a scoff and briefly turned his attention elsewhere.

“Look, do you want to find your friend or not? I could be warming right now for a race that’s starting in 10 minutes.” Immediately feeling bad, you bit your lips trying to figure out if you could really trust him or not. Your fingers twitched as you glanced at his hands. He followed where your eyes were looking and quirked an eyebrow in anticipation. Sucking in a breath, you swiftly reached out and intertwined your fingers with his, avoiding eye-contact while doing so.

“Alright, let’s do this.” A small blush crept across your cheeks when he began to lead you through the crowd of people. Every so often, he’d squeeze your hand as if to check up on you, prompting you to look up at him. When you did, he’d smile back down at you, so softly that you had to look away again. 

All too soon the corner of your eye latched onto a head of bright pink hair. Instinctively, you tug your hand out of his to follow her but instead, he grabbed you again and tugged you back.

“Woah there,” he lightly teased, his husky voice sending shivers down your spine. He looked over to where your friend was, “Is that her?” At your nod, he let out a low chuckle and set you back onto your feet. He offered you his hand again and this time, you readily took it.

“Hey! Where have you been?” Your best friend greeted you with a side hug and a side-eye at your companion. 

“You’re so dead to me,” you mumbled into her arms. Even if you were grateful for not being stranded alone again, it was still her fault you were left by yourself in the first place. Finally, you took a step back to properly face your knight in a white muscle-tee. “So do I get a name now?”

“Desperado but you can call me Iwaizumi.” 

“Oh? You don’t look like one.” A teasing smile formed on your lips accompanied by the mischievous glint in your eyes. Iwaizumi wasn’t as bad as you thought, you enjoyed his company a lot. Deep down you wanted to see him again but you knew the chances of that happening were slim.

“Glad to know you still have comebacks even when you’re tired.” Iwaizumi let out a small laugh, shyly glancing to the side. Looking back at you, he sent you one last smile before turning around and leaving albeit a little hesitant to do so.  
“So who’s the cutie?” Your best friend waggled her eyebrows at you but you didn’t see. For some reason, you couldn’t bring yourself to look away from where he stood even after he left. 

It took you a moment, and then you shook your head and sighed, “Nobody important.”

The sky already turned an inky black when you stepped out of the campus building. Absently checking your phone, you inwardly cursed realizing that it was already 12 AM. The group project took longer than you thought, but your group had collectively agreed to get it done in one, albeit long, sitting rather than trying to navigate through everyone’s schedules. Your house was 45 minutes away and the trains already stopped running for the night; there were no other options but to walk home. 

A few minutes into the walk, the low hum of an engine can be heard coming from behind you. The surrounding neighborhood was dark, adding to the already present paranoia inside. You started to walk faster when the car started to get closer. At this point, the thumping of your heartbeat drowned out the hum. Swiveling your head to the side, you let out a breath of relief when it passed. But it was short-lived when the car stopped right in front of the crosswalk. With slightly shaky hands, you slid your keys between your fingers ready to fight whoever it was. All the fear faded when a familiar face stepped out of the car. 

“It’s 12 am, what are you doing out here by yourself? It’s dangerous.” 

Iwaizumi. He was the last person you expected to see but it was still better than a random stranger. 

“Oh? Are you one of the dangers?” You lightly joked. “It’s fine, I do this all the time.” You waved at Iwaizumi dismissively but the furrow of his brows only grew deeper at your worrisome statement. A look of contemplation crossed his face for a split second before he sighed and jogged over to the passenger side. He reached for the handle, gesturing for you to get in. 

“You shouldn’t walk home by yourself at night. C’mon, I’ll take you home.” Iwaizumi’s words made you hesitate a little bit after weighing out your options, you decided that this was better than walking home all alone in the dark. There was no reason for you not to trust him, he _did_ help you once before. Walking up to his car, you gave him a pursed smile before climbing in. 

It took you a minute to tuck your bag under the seat and settle in, checking out the interior of his car while doing so. As Iwaizumi slid behind the wheel, you couldn’t help but notice how his biceps flexed when he grabbed the gear shift before starting the ignition and taking off. You bit your lip at how the veins in his hands seemed to pop out each time he changed to a different gear. Slowly, your eyes began to trail from his hand to his bicep, then finally to his face. Iwaizumi must’ve caught sight of the way you ogled at him because he glanced to the side, giving you a smirk. His actions caused the heat to rise in your cheeks before you looked away and towards the window to avoid his gaze. 

“Getting a little hot there princess?” Iwaizumi teased. At the same time, he seemed to be gauging your reaction, almost as if testing how far he could go before you closed up. Luckily for him, you wouldn’t be taken down so easily. 

“Nope, I’m rather cold this evening.” You retorted, all the while an innocent smile displayed on your face. Although you were joking, in actuality you were pretty cold. In your haste to try and catch a train to your classes, you had forgotten to grab a jacket on the way out, leaving you in your current predicament. Iwaizumi took notice of your shivering and reached over to hold your hand only to realize that your skin felt like ice. 

“You weren’t kidding when you said you were cold.” Iwaizumi muttered before taking his hand out of yours to turn on the heater. Then, without missing a beat, he casually entwined his hand into yours again and pulled them into his lap. If you were a little flustered before at his remarks, now you really were because of his actions. Your eyes darted around, looking everywhere except at your entangled hands. Still, though, you thought as you took a peek at it, holding hands with him again was almost...nice.

The car ride turned silent, with only the heater and engine acting as white noise. Taking another peek at him, you were in awe by the sight that greeted you. Iwaizumi looked so beautiful in the passing lights of Tokyo. The way his snake bites caught and reflected the neon turquoise and pink lights of the city. The intricate design of a blooming rose spanned the area where his throat met his clavicles and seemed to move whenever he talked. How the silver bands on his fingers glinted as he flexed and unflexed his grip on the wheel, accentuating the veins on his forearms once more. He was simply _breathtaking_. 

“You should take a picture. It’ll last longer,” Iwaizumi winked, making you roll your eyes. “I’ll even model nude for you if you want.” His laughter filled the once silent car. You let out an exasperated sigh at the fact that he ruined the mood. 

“Yeah, I bet it can last longer than you.” Now it was your turn to laugh at the way his face dropped at your comeback. Internally, you patted yourself on the back at how clever that was despite how immature it may have sounded. 

While his guard was still down, you decided to ask him a question that you’ve been _dying_ to know ever since he mentioned it. “So, why is your racing name Desperado?”

“Oh well, it was an inside joke between my friends and me,” Iwaizumi brushed off your question before continuing. “And I also really liked the Wild West when I was younger.” You suspected that he wasn’t telling the whole truth but you didn’t push him further.

“The library has pretty good books on the Wild West,” A mischievous smile began to form. “If you’re looking for directions, it’s that way _princess_.” You nodded your head back in the direction of your university. Iwaizumi let out an amused chuckle when he finally realized you used the same line that he had when you guys first met. 

As the car rolled to a stop at the red light, you began to shift in your seat as the feeling of pride swelled in you. This back and forth between the two of you were refreshing; you never had this with someone before. Sensing the weight of his gaze on you, you turned to meet him straight on, retort ready on your tongue. But you weren’t prepared for the fond look in his eyes or the soft curve of his lips. You quirked a brow up at his expression as if to ask, ‘What?’ Before Iwaizumi could open his mouth to answer, the sound of his phone ringing filled the car. 

“Fuck, not now.” The cursing caught you by surprise and you automatically tense up in your seat. Iwaizumi noticed how your hand stiffened in his grip and glanced at you in worriment, rubbing his thumb along your knuckles to soothe your nerves. He noticeably softened his tone after that, although the words themselves were still hissed through gritted teeth. He never lets go of your hand throughout.

You couldn’t pick up most of the conversation, but whoever it was behind the phone call seemed to make Iwaizumi pissed off. The little bits that you were able to pick up contained the words “loading dock,” “container,” and “run.” All of which when put together didn’t sound all that good. The atmosphere in the car noticeably changed when he hung up the phone. You could tell he was annoyed by the way he craned his neck from side to side in restraint frustration, displaying the tendons on his neck.

“Is everything alright?” Your soft whisper broke Iwaizumi out of his thoughts. No, no it wasn’t. You could tell that even without asking but wanted to make sure anyways, inwardly hoping he’d take it as an invitation to confide his troubles. But he doesn’t.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it.” Iwaizumi gave you a tight-lipped smile that didn’t reach his eyes. The more he told you not to worry, the more worried you got. Now it was your turn to give his hand a small but reassuring squeeze. “...thanks,” he said in a gruff manner.

That didn’t work out how you hoped it would. Feeling a little awkward you pulled your hand away from his, fingers curling in embarrassment at his rebuff when he grabs your hand back. Iwaizumi lifted your entwined hands and pressed them against his cheek. After a pause, he said with more sincerity, “...thank you.” Your cheeks weren’t the only ones that were flushed in the car. A while later, he spoke up again. 

“Hey,” Iwaizumi paused, seemingly contemplating his next words, “is it ok if we take a quick detour to the loading docks?” The question made you raise your eyebrow. The closest loading docks to you were 20 minutes away and you really needed to get back to your place. But looking at Iwaizumi, whatever protests you had died on your lips. You didn’t have classes until the afternoon so it wouldn’t hurt to stay out a little bit later than usual. 

“Sure, I don’t mind.” The tenseness in his shoulders visibly drooped when you agreed. The remainder of the ride to the docks was in silence.

Turning the engine off, Iwaizumi unbuckled his seatbelt and fully turned to face you. In return, you shifted your body too, curious as to what he’s going to say. But instead of saying anything, he lifted his hand and brushed his knuckles against your cheeks. “Wait for me okay? I’ll be back in 10 minutes.”

The space Iwaizumi decided to park in was engulfed in darkness. Even though you were in the car, you couldn’t help but feel like shadows were moving around in your peripheral. You were scared but told yourself that Iwaizumi promised that he would be back in 10 minutes so you trusted his words. Even when you reassured yourself, something about this whole “meetup” didn’t sit right with you. 

40 minutes went by and there were still no signs of him. You started fidgeting in your seat, growing more anxious as the time passed. Between your worries over your own safety and concerns over Iwaizumi’s well-being that weaved itself through, you did something against your better judgment. Stepping out of the car, you were met with the frigid air. 

The huge shipping containers towered over you as you crept throughout the maze, trying to be as quiet as possible if there happened to be someone around. At this rate you didn’t think you’d be able to find Iwaizumi until dawn; just when you were about to give up you heard a familiar voice talking and decided to follow it. After a few twists and turns, you stumbled upon a group of guys, one of which was your missing Romeo. The other one you could make out to be “Cypher” from the street race however there were two more that you didn’t recognize. The four of them were loading pouches into multiple duffle bags, stuffed to the brim with white powder.

It looked like the four of them had finished. Iwaizumi and Cypher closed the container while the other two grabbed the duffle bags, one in each hand. Once they made sure the container was secured, they grabbed the remaining bags. All four started to head back to their cars, you had to get back before Iwaizumi discovered you were gone. You stepped back, hoping to make a quiet escape but all that vanished when you accidentally tripped and banged into the container. At this point you didn’t want to look up, knowing that all four of them had already caught you. 

“...Princess? I thought I told you to wait for me,” that was Iwaizumi.

“Did you seriously bring a fucking girl with you? To a fucking drug run?” Cypher asked in rage, not even acknowledging your presence. 

“Shut up the fuck up! I already told you I had something important to drop off when you called, Oikawa,” Iwaizumi hissed right back through gritted teeth. He sent you what was supposed to be a reassuring smile but came out more to be a pained grimace.

“Yeah, the drugs!”

“Aren’t you the one who’s always hounding my ass about making assumptions!”

At that Oikawa spluttered a vague retort, before recomposing himself and lashing out with vitriol. 

Iwaizumi and Oikawa continued to bicker on while the three of you stood in awkward silence, not knowing what to do next. It wasn’t until you spoke up, that their little screaming match at each other finally broke. 

“Hey, I think we should go, it’s—”

_BANG!_

_BANG!_

_BANG!_

_**“IWAIZUMI!”** _

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This was loosely inspired by aikk00's art of the Haikyuu Tokyo Drift au. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> [tumblr](https://sunarinloveclub.tumblr.com/)


End file.
